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Whenever Apple launches in a new sector of the tech market, it has a habit of blitzing the opposition with glamorous new products.After taking the smartphone and tablet markets by storm, If the latest rumours are to be believed in the Silicon Valley, Apple is planning to dominate the living room with yet another slickly-designed user-friendly device - an Apple TV

Apple already has some stunningly attractive displays on sale – including the Apple iMac all-in-one computer and a range of monitors for its Mac Mini and MacBook laptops. Now imagine a scaled up version – with the possibility of a 46-inch screen – and you may have a fair idea of what Apple has up it’s sleeve.

Current Apple products have stunningly vibrant and sharp screens, but it’s usually the build quality that set gadgets like the MacBook Pro or iMac apart from rivals. If Apple makes a 46-inch HDTV complete with an all-aluminium design, it’s bound to be onto a winner.

A TV would also go perfectly with the Apple TV streaming box, further integrating iTunes into your daily life. At present, the rumours hint at a 2012 launch for an Apple HDTV.

"Apple is working on new technology to deliver video to televisions, and has been discussing whether to try to launch a subscription TV service, according to people familiar with the matter," said an August 26 article in the The Wall Street Journal.

"Apple is almost certainly working on a digital television based on its iOS operating system, according to multiple sources in Silicon Valley," reported technology blog VentureBeat after speaking with sources that include Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster and Venture capitalist Stewart Alsop of Alsop Louie ventures. Steward Also told VentureBeat that "Apple will do to television manufacturers what it did to phone makers with the iPhone."

VentureBeat suggested that Apple's vision could "tie seamlessly into other Apple devices, like the iPhone, iPad and MacBook Air, giving the company an enviable full-circle consumer product line," and added that the Apple TV might function similarly to the smart devices seen in a promotional video published by Gorilla Glass maker Corning.

Apple has long been rumored to be working on a smart TV. In June 2011 a former Apple executive who spoke to technology blog DailyTech on the condition of anonymity revealed that Apple had teamed up with a "major OEM to sell iOS-powered, Apple branded displays."

Despite the continued rumors, many tech pundits remain doubtful about Apple's entry into the TV market. Skeptics say Apple won't enter the TV market because it has a very low replacement cycle (most families won't replace their TV for between 5 to 10 years) and low margins.

Earlier this year Google tested the waters by teaming up with Sony and other manufacturers to release a line of Google TVs and set top boxes that were designed to disrupt the market. The project was met with a lukewarm response, however Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt recently announced that Google TV will launch in Europe by early.

World’s most expensive house under legal scanner for irregularities

Mukesh Ambani’s house Antilla -- The world’s most expensive house is under scanner

Mukesh Ambani who is one of the richest people in the world, had commissioned the construction of his private residential tower called the Antillia. This 27 storied tower which has each floor based on a different theme of décor, and has 6 floors just for the vehicle parking alone, has been valued as the world’s most expensive private home, which we have also covered in our list of Most Expensive homes. But following recent news, this mansion has come under the scanner of legal authorities in India, for several legal roadblocks that this property has run into, primarily financial.

The home that we look at has been built in one of the prime areas for real estate in the port of city of Mumbai, India. This tower has 6 floors for vehicle parking, a majority of which houses Mukesh Ambani’s fleet of luxury vehicles apart from the 600 member staff quarters and multiple floors for the members of Ambani’s family. Each floor has been designed on a different theme based décor with all modern luxuries included, along with capabilities to meet its own energy requirements which by no means are meager.

Facilities include a ball room, green room, rest rooms for staff, and indoor and outdoor bars to having a relaxing time in. All of these features along with land valuation have ensured that this tower happens to be the most expensive in the world, costing close to $2 billion in total worth, which perhaps is befitting the profile of the world’s 5th richest man. However, after investigations, it has emerged that there are several legal loopholes which have been bypassed for acquiring the land on which it stands.

Sources mention that the land was allotted for educational and charitable purposes, for educating Muslim children under the umbrella of the Wakf board in India. For all those who wouldn’t know, Wakf under Islamic law is an asset which is specifically set aside for charitable purposes as had been the case here. But legal scrutiny has exposed that the land was acquired illegally by the owners of the Antilla tower, by paying a cost which is multiple times lower than the standard rate set for real estate in that area, and also bypassing several other legal hurdles.

According to the state chairman of the Wakf board N.D.Pathan,

“Some trustees got permission from the charity commissioner and sold the house to Mr. Ambani. The Wakf Board tried to recover the land but Mr. Ambani went to court and obtained a stay from the Bombay High Court.”

Also the state minister for minority affairs, Mohammed Arif Naseem Khan has requested that the case for the same be handed to the Central Board of Investigation (CBI) for scrutiny as the case has snowballed into a major issue. In terms of aesthetics of the overall building, there have been contradictory assessments from noteworthy sources such as writer Shobha De who says, the Antilla is the Taj Mahal of the 21st century. On the other hand, the ‘book-stack’ exterior structure hasn’t gone too well with designers either, and the spending which has been opulent at the least, has been criticized because of a vast majority of the population of Mumbai, live under sub-standard conditions, not too far away from the other.

As we admire and stand in awe of the luxuries that the mighty surround themselves in, we tend to overlook some of the other aspects of their lives which are surely not befitting of such iconic figures. Apart from this criticism, our admiration of the Antilla still remains untouched, largely.